Running Time. 2 hours 27 mins
Cast. Don Cheadle, Erika Christensen, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Douglas, Miguel Ferrer, Topher Grace, Dennis Quaid, Jacob Vargas, Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Based on a highly acclaimed BBC and Channel 4 co-produced mini-series starring Bill Paterson and Lindsay Duncan, Traffic is Steven Soderbergh's multi-narrative examination of an unwinnable war - America's war on drugs. The film earned Steven Soderbergh the 2001 Academy Award for Best Director (ahead of another film he directed, Erin Brockovich).
Traffic is largely a collection of loosely connected stories explored by an impressive ensemble cast: Michael Douglas, is the newly appointed Head of the Office of National Drug Control, Judge Robert Wakefield; Benicio Del Toro, is a jaded Mexican Police Officer, Javier Rodriguez; Don Cheadle, is an undercover DEA officer, Montel Gordon; and finally, Catherine Zeta-Jones, is the heavily pregnant country club wife of an accused drug lord.
The film is accomplished, but some of the storylines are stronger than others. Catherine Zeta-Jones character arc is highly implausible, swiftly evolving from oblivious housewife to no-nonsense, cold-blooded kingpin. Benicio Del Toro, on the other hand, is sublime in his role as the morally drained Mexican Police Officer, and rightly picked up the 2001 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Whilst stylish, and creating an interesting dynamic, I didn't particularly care for Soderbergh's use of filters to delineate timelines - the Mexican element of the story is always portrayed through a washed-out sepia filter, whereas the Washington storyline has a blue tone throughout. This, I felt, was an unnecessary distraction.
Following Steven Soderbergh's explosive debut with Sex, Lies and Videotape and a car crash that was 1996 (Schizopolis and Gray's Anatomy), Traffic (and Erin Brockovich) cemented the director's return to solid, old school independent American cinema. The film also demonstrated Soderbergh's undeniable talent for managing large ensemble casts and intricate plot mechanics, which stood him in good stead for his next film, Ocean's Eleven.
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